Buckeyes recruiting hits high gear
by Flynn Hill
Ohio State has been a huge player in recruiting the past few seasons. 2009 won’t be any different.
Jim Tressel and Ohio State have always been notorious for their recruiting. In 2008, they hauled in one of the best recruiting classes of any school that year. But when their 2009 class is looked upon, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before one of their BCS National Championship appearances turns into pure gold for the Buckeyes.
Led by a tough offensive line, Ohio State have realized being a big, mean and nasty team can’t be their only weapon if they want to beat a team from the Southeastern Conference in the National Championship game. Speed is what the SEC is all about, and Ohio State is showing the sky is the limit for this class.
Eight of Tressel’s 23 verbal commitments as of now have 40 times below 4.6 seconds. Two of their four-star wide receivers, James Jackson and Chris Fields have clocked under a 4.4 time, and even if 40-yard-dash times are inaccurate, it’s no joke they’ve got the speed to burn defensive backs.
Ohio State has also recruited four athletes - all with good enough size to mold into a defensive back, running back, and definitely return men.
The Buckeyes are going all out defensively, and have 16 defensive commitments already. Four are defensive linemen, led by Melvin Fellows and John Simon.
Then three linebackers, led by the hard-nosed Dorian Bell also are included in the aggressive recruiting. After looking at the front seven of Ohio State’s current team, the Buckeyes shouldn’t worry about their defensive backs. Safety Jamie Wood, along with four other corners and safeties, will look to help what is already one of the best defensive units in the country at Ohio State.
Quarterback is not an area of need, after receiving a letter of intent last spring from a dual threat, Vince Young-esque quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor should push the current Buckeyes quarterback, Todd Boeckman, to perform even better after workouts in the summer.
And although only having verbal commitments from two offensive linemen so far, star prospect Chris Watt is still in the mix, and is looking very hard at Ohio State, as well as a few other schools.
Ohio State has never taken recruiting lightly. But with the 2009 class, they’re taking recruiting to a whole new level.
Nick is a contributing writer who writes for Scout.com.